Can Alphabeat put a spell on me?

My extreme adoration for Alphabeat and everything they stand for means that there is a lot riding on their new album. I always try to keep my expectations reasonable so that I won’t be disappointed, but it’s difficult with something as important as the first Alphabeat single to be created since they became famous. Before I heard The Spell, I read that the band were going in a more 90s Eurodance direction, which is OK with me as a fan of that genre, but listing Snap and Black Box as influences worried me a bit because that isn’t the kind of 90s Eurodance I’m a fan of (I was hoping for Aqua or at least Ace of Base).

As I listened to the first half of the song, my worries were confirmed – it did sound like Snap and Black Box, and although there are much worse sounds they could go for, I wanted my old Alphabeat back! However, as the song progressed I got more into it, found parts that I particularly liked, and at the end of my first listen it was spinning around in my head. I definitely wanted to hear it again, and (thank goodness) when I did the increased familiarity and confidence that it wasn’t a disappointment after all made me fall in love with the song properly. Now I’m going to listen to it 10 more times in a row and become obsessed!